American Negotiating Behavior and the Transformation of U.S. Diplomacy

Event Summary

Posted: May 17, 2010
By: Liz Harper

Richard Solomon signs copies of "American Negotiating Behavior" which he co-authored with Nigel Quinney. (Photo: U.S. Institute of Peace) As U.S. diplomats face an increasingly complex international environment, it is ever more important that the United States review its own negotiating diplomatic skills with the goal of enhancing its capacities to deal with 21st century challenges.

To meet these challenges, a new book, "American Negotiating Behavior: Wheeler-Dealers, Legal Eagles, Bullies, and Preachers," by Richard H. Solomon, president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and co-author Nigel Quinney, offers a rich and detailed portrait of the negotiating practices of American officials – and ultimately how diplomats can improve their skills. As part of the study, more than 50 foreign officials were interviewed on their perceptions of Americans as negotiators.

The U.S. Institute of Peace on May 12 celebrated the publication of this landmark study with an event featuring Solomon, Chan Heng Chee, the ambassador of Singapore to the U.S., Thomas Pickering, vice chairman of Hills & Company and former State Department official, Ruth Whiteside, director of the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, Chester Crocker, USIP board member and professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and Stephen J. Hadley, former national security adviser and USIP senior adviser for international affairs. Marvin Kalb, the distinguished broadcast journalist and USIP visiting expert, moderated the event.

This book, published by the U.S. Institute of Peace Press, is the latest in an ongoing series of cross-cultural negotiation books, such as Solomon’s "Chinese Negotiating Behavior," "How Israelis and Palestinians Negotiate," "Russian Negotiating Behavior," and "Negotiating with Iran." See all titles in the cross-cultural negotiating series.

Solomon opened up the event, saying he initially became inspired by this subject after working at the State Department under former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

One of the great insights for the book comes from the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu: "Know your adversary, know yourself; in a hundred battles, a hundred victories," Solomon said.

Indeed, the book is designed to help American diplomats understand themselves, and to better prepare themselves for today’s challenges.

Solomon summarized that there are five major factors to understand negotiating situations: first, the contemporary issues at play; second, the personality styles; third, institutional procedures; fourth, geostrategic; and fifth, cultural. Institutional procedures – such as our structure of government, division of powers – have a major effect on U.S. negotiating dynamics, Solomon stressed. Who the president is also has a big impact on the character of the negotiating process, as do U.S. election cycles, creating time pressures that countries without regular elections do not feel.

Solomon also talked about the four main mindsets of U.S. negotiators – wheeler-dealers, legal eagles, bullies, and preachers. For example, in a geostrategic context, he said that we are seen as hegemons, or bullies. We’re also seen as professionals, we don’t bluff or lie, he said.

Additionally, "our diplomats are pragmatic and results-oriented. We have a transactional style rather than a relationship-building style. While in the cases of the Chinese or Russians, they try to build relationships as much as they are trying to solve a problem," Solomon told the audience. He talked about how "we have a sense of American exceptionalism and we are very proud of our government and country."

Next, Ambassador Chee, one of the contributing authors, offered her views on U.S. diplomats. One of her main conclusions was that Americans negotiate more with themselves than with the foreign party. For that reason, she said, the foreign party will always keep its eye on Congress, and consider what Congress will or will not approve – and factor that into the negotiating process. During the U.S.-Singaporean free trade negotiations, she found that Americans were very legalistic and extremely professional.

"It may take a longer time to come to a decision, but once [Americans] reach it, they don’t change," she said.

Pickering then spoke, focusing on preparations in the State Department’s Foreign Service. "Until recently, there had been no formal preparation," he told the crowd, eliciting chuckles in the room. In negotiations, Pickering stressed the importance of having "offline conversations," such as a "walk in the woods" with a foreign counterpart, and of being fluent in foreign languages. At the same time, "conducting negotiations in that foreign language is dangerous," he said, noting that there could be misunderstandings or cultural misinterpretations. Besides, he said, "interpreters can help you buy time" at the negotiating table. Finally, the distinguished diplomat said, get Congress involved early as they are an important part of the process.

Whiteside picked it up from there, talking about how the State Department’s Foreign Service is preparing a new generation of diplomats, such as its curricula on negotiations.

"And I think the challenge – and the book makes this point – is that we don’t reach enough of our officers. Negotiating knowledge and skills need to be a part of every foreign service officer background and education." Whiteside said.

The U.S. Institute of Peace offers courses, simulations and other programs to help educate and train foreign service officers, military officials, and other international practitioners. The Institute’s Education and Training Center is dedicated to improve the skills required to manage conflict in all its phases, from prevention to post-conflict peacebuilding. Learn more about the center and the Institute’s Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding.

Crocker addressed the audience, zeroing in on crisis diplomacy and management, and building and sustaining alliances in post-conflict situations. He found that the hardest part for the U.S. was the post-conflict phase, observing the U.S. seemed to have an "aversion to mediation."

Hadley talked about how "negotiating is not just getting a deal, but it’s about getting a deal that serves our interests." He said that we have a fairly limited toolkit regarding our strategic approach to negotiating for our interests, pointing to Iran and ongoing talk about sanctions.

He said he wanted to see more educational emphasis on the substance in negotiations, not just the process. "I am worried about when officers are out in the field, and trying to negotiate deals that avoid conflict." Hadley praised how the Institute provides that kind of training, underscoring how "we really need to start getting people familiar with how to work on that local level, that field level." Learn more about the Institute’s Education and Training Center’s international programs and courses.

The presentations were followed by questions from the audience and from moderator Marvin Kalb.

Following the event, guests lined up to talk with Solomon and have him sign his book.